Alseides Inferno
by Casa Circe
Summary: What started out as a twisted experiment became the most dangerous weapon of Zaibach. But every machine has its limits. One-shot for Dilandau's birthday!


Alseides Inferno

_Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Escaflowne or Pacific Rim. The only profit I gain are reviews._

_Note: Since I always try to post something on Dilandau's birthday, here's a little thing. It's a crossover with one of my current obsessions, Pacific Rim, and is part of a larger Escaflowne/Pacific Rim crossover I'm planning to post on my blog. Pacific Rim can be crossed over with nearly anything but it really makes sense to match it with a mecha anime like Escaflowne since it is, after all, a tribute to such series. So this little story takes place in Gaea but in the context of its being attacked by kaiju. So the different countries build jaegers/guymelefs to fight the giant monsters. The rest is pretty much self-explanatory._

_It's quite dark since it's Dilandau we're talking about and rather whimsical. But I hope coherent enough. Happy reading and please do leave a review. Thank you!_

_Summary: What started out as a twisted experiment became the most dangerous weapon of Zaibach. But every machine has its limits._

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"To fight monsters, they created monsters of their own."

Some men went even further.

The Sorcerers of Zaibach wanted to create the most superior Jaeger in the world. The fight against the kaiju was not a threat to them; it was a challenge. They participated in the jaeger program not so much to help protect the world from the gigantic monsters but to see how far they could advance their technology.

They performed various experiments to try and find the perfect jaeger pilots. They had already built one of the most powerful jaegers in the world, a crimson model they named the Alseides Inferno because one of its special weapons was a vicious flamethrower. The Alseides Inferno was also equipped with a revolutionary feature called the Stealth Cloak which allowed it to turn invisible for short periods of time, effectively distracting its prey long enough to completely destroy the kaiju.

Various pairs of very talented jaeger pilots had taken charge of the Alseides but none of them proved strong enough to maximize the jaeger's sophisticated features. The Sorcerers were not satisfied with the current roster of ranger candidates so they decided to try another experiment.

Since drift compatibility was such an essential feature of the pilots' success, the sorcerers decided that they would play god and try and split one soul into two, ensuring perfect drift compatibility. What started out as a twisted experiment resulted in the most dangerous pair of jaeger pilots on Gaea.

From the body and soul of the young Celena Schezar, Zaibach extracted her jaeger co-pilot, Dilandau Albatou. This vicious silver-haired soldier was practically the personification of Alseides Inferno, a creature full of power and fury, a true jaeger in human form.

Celena had been selected as one of the most talented ranger candidates in her class. Her older brother was the pilot of the Asturian jaeger Scheherazade Muse. She had volunteered for the experimental program because she felt that despite her proven skill and dedication, she would not be taken on as a pilot because of her youth and lack of experience. She was determined to prove herself.

And so despite the excruciating pain of the Sorcerer's procedure, Celena was grateful that she would finally be able to pilot a jaeger. She was compassionate and kind but also highly intelligent and physically strong.

Her co-pilot was a volatile element, constantly furious and full of bloodlust. He was also cold-hearted and calculating. He was all fire and anger and a connection to her was the only thing that kept him human.

Despite the stark differences in their personality, they were still amazingly drift compatible. They never argued during a fight and since one was violent while the other was calm, they balanced each other out. They recognized that they needed each other to survive.

Dilandau had no memories of his own to distract him during the neural handshake, which made enough room for Celena's memories to fill the drift. And Celena's memories help keep Dilandau grounded in reality so that he would not be engulfed by the overwhelming sense of emptiness due to his lack of his own past. He existed in the present and that was all that mattered. He lived to fight and that was enough.

Their bond was deep so they fought very well. After all, they were literally two halves of the same whole. And there had never been anything like this before.

They fought with complete coordination, finally showing the full range of Alseides' powers. In a short period, they had slaughtered half a dozen kaiju, some of these even Category 4's. The success of the Alseides experiment was unparalleled.

But there was a curse in its name. It was not for nothing that it was also called an Inferno.

Eventually, the strain of fighting was too much on the two pilots, considering they had only come from one person. Both of them were becoming unstable and they could no longer withstand the pressure of sharing one life. The doctors tried everything they could but after numerous tests and procedures, the concluded that only one of the pilots would be able to survive.

And though the Sorcerers wanted to keep their perfect soldier, they were not given a choice as to who would live. They had taken far too much into their hands and fate was extracting the price.

As they lay on their hospital beds before the final procedure, Dilandau spoke to his tearful co-pilot. She knew what was coming and she dreaded the separation, even if it meant that she would be whole again. She knew that from that moment on, something would always be missing.

"Enough tears," he told her gruffly, as was his way, "they won't change anything. You need to be strong for both of us."

"I'll try," she answered sadly.

"Stop worrying," he said, "you can always find me in the Drift."

Those were his last words before Dilandau Albatou ceased to exist on this world and once again, Celena Schezar was left alone with the memories of two people. She had gotten what she had wished for but now everything was in ashes.

The systems of Alseides Inferno grew too unstable to be used and the jaeger was eventually decommissioned. It was as if it had _felt_ the death of one of its pilots. Celena did not succumb to her grief but continued to work as a consultant and trainer of future jaeger pilots. There were still kaiju to be fought and she still wanted to do her part to help in spite of what the war had already cost her. Somehow, she felt that her story was not yet finished.

Because nothing is really lost in the Drift.

Some things can survive. Some souls can return. In time.


End file.
